The constant pursuit of increased performance and smaller form factors is a central fact of modern system-on-chip (SOC) design. Typical performance-increasing approaches include increased integration of functional blocks (GPU, CPU, memory, I/O, etc.) and use of higher supply voltages. These and other approaches to SOC design can lead to higher operating temperatures. To maintain reasonably low failure risk, greater measures must be taken to dissipate heat, typically at added expense, complexity and size (e.g., larger heat sinks). In some cases, heat dissipation can also compromise acoustic performance For instance, a high speed fan can interfere with voice activation functionality. Acoustic performance degradation and other costs associated with thermal solutions are made worse given the widespread tendency to design for worst case operating scenarios.